This invention relates to the art of horticulture, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for growing vined produce.
The invention is disclosed in detail in connection with the growing of tomatoes. However, it will be appreciated that the invention is applicable to the growing of other vined produce such as, for example, cucumbers, squash, beans, and the like.
As is well known, tomatoes grow on a vine which is a plant whose stem requires support by clipping the vine to a support provided therefor. In connection with the growing of tomatoes, it is likewise well known to provide stakes and/or strings for the tomato vine to be attached to as it grows upward from the ground or, a potting vessel such as in a greenhouse. The growing of tomatoes in such a conventional manner is time-consuming in requiring the placement of stakes and/or strings and the initial clipping of the vine thereabout. The latter for a person growing tomatoes in their home garden requires daily maintenance to assure the necessary connection between the vine and stake or strings, and in connection with commercial growth of tomatoes such as in a greenhouse, clips are used to fasten the vine to the strings along the lengths thereof. The clips are put on the plants at least once every two weeks, and this procedure is very time-consuming and labor intensive. Furthermore, during growth the base of the plant becomes susceptible to breakage, causing loss of the plant.
Another labor intensive and time-consuming job in connection with the growing of tomatoes either in a home garden or in a greenhouse is that of spraying the plants for eliminating insects and other pests. In this respect, such insects and pests harbor under the leaves of a tomato plant attached to a stake or string, and the leaves act like an umbrella which protects the pests from sprays and the like. Accordingly, these leaves from the ground up must be lifted to expose the underside and then sprayed, and such effort in connection with the leaves close to the ground requires the person undertaking the spraying to kneel or bend down, both of which are physically tiring for the person. Another problem in connection with both home gardens and greenhouses results from the fact that the tomato seedlings are on the ground or floor in growing pots and, accordingly, are susceptible to damage or destruction, such as by rodents which eat the seedlings.
In accordance with the present invention, a method and apparatus is provided for growing tomatoes in a manner which eliminates and/or minimizes the foregoing problems encountered in connection with conventional methods of growing tomatoes. More particularly in this respect, a tomato plant in accordance with the present invention is grown by rooting a tomato seedling in a container which is rotatable about a horizontal axis and supported above an underlying surface for rotation about the axis, and periodically rotating the container about its axis as the plant grows to progressively wind the tomato vine about the container. The container is periodically provided with a nutrient to promote growth of the tomato vine, and the tomatoes are periodically harvested from the vine, whereby the harvested portion of the vine is wrapped around the container and supported thereby.
The growing of tomatoes in accordance with the present invention advantageously eliminates the need for growing poles, guide strings and bridging boards which are often used in greenhouses between adjacent growing bags to support the stem of the tomato vine to assure that the latter remains off the floor so as to be less likely to contact any viruses. In connection with the growing of tomatoes in greenhouses, elimination of poles, guide strings and bridging boards eliminates the floor space and lateral growing area heretofore required for the spread of guide strings and, in connection with both greenhouses and domestic tomato growing, the invention advantageously reduces the time and/or labor and/or expense required in connection with conventional tomato growing. A reduction in expense for a greenhouse is further promoted by eliminating clips heretofore used to fasten plants to guide strings. Further advantage is realized by growing the tomatoes in an area spaced above the floor or ground in that the latter promotes a sterile climate in a greenhouse by providing for the underlying floor or ground to be free of plants and growing bags or other growing containers while reducing the cleaning effort required in a greenhouse environment. In connection with both greenhouse and domestic growing of tomatoes, elevation of the growing area reduces and/or eliminates pest and virus problems by making the undersides of the leaves of the tomato plant easy to access for spraying. Moreover, elevation of the growing area eliminates damage caused by rodents eating the plants as well as potential damage to the plants caused by poisons used to eliminate rodents, and elevation of the growing area makes the feeding and pollinating of the plants easier than with plants grown conventionally. Of further advantage is the fact that tomatoes can be grown by apartment dwellers who have no yard and inside by homeowners who do not want to dedicate a part of their yard to a garden.
Tomatoes grown in accordance with the present invention ripen as much as 30 days earlier than those grown conventionally and, in this respect, are in clusters on top of the growing container which allows the tomatoes to be exposed to more direct sunlight throughout the day. In this respect, the clusters will get as much as 80% more sunlight than tomatoes growing from the ground up along guide poles or strings due, in part, to shading of tomatoes on a vine by leaves thereabove. In connection with the growing of tomatoes in a greenhouse environment, the floor is free of growing containers and thus can be painted white to reflect light and improve light throughout the greenhouse. All of these factors result in an increased production per plant compared to the production realized with conventional methods in which the vines are grown from the ground up. Still further advantage is realized in growing tomatoes in accordance with the present invention in that the rotatable containers used are adapted to be easily cleaned, sterilized and reused, whereas conventional growing bags have to be replaced at the end of each growing season. Moreover, the tomatoes ripen on the top area of the container and are easily harvested without having to bend over, kneel down or the like, and the winding of the tomato vine about the container as growth progresses eliminates plant breakage which is often encountered in growing the vines from ground up. Yet another advantage is realized in that the removal of the plant at the end of its life and the replanting of a new vine is simple and easy to accomplish. In this respect, removal simply requires cutting the vine where it exits from the interior of a container and pulling the coiled vine from the container. The replanting can be as simple as pulling the rooted vine from the growing media inside the container and introducing the roots of a new seedling into the growing opening and the growing media inside the container. Advantageously, all of the foregoing attributes not only provide for the increased production of tomatoes per plant but also reduce the labor required on a per plant basis by as much as 50% to 70% in comparison with the growing of tomatoes by conventional methods and equipment.
It is accordingly an outstanding object of the present invention to provide a new method and apparatus for growing vined produce, such as tomatoes, which provides considerable improvement relative to the conventional methods and equipment used to grow such produce from the ground up.
Another object is the provision of a method and apparatus for growing vined produce by which the time and labor is considerably reduced in comparison with that required for the conventional growing of such produce.
A further object is the provision of a method and apparatus for growing tomatoes by which the tomatoes ripen quicker and the production per plant is increased in comparison with conventional methods of growing tomato plants.
Still a further object is the provision of a method and apparatus of the foregoing character by which the vined produce are grown above the floor or ground, thus promoting the ability to protect the plants from insects, viruses and/or rodents.
Another object is the provision of a method and apparatus for growing vined produce which can be used to advantage in a home environment as well as in a commercial environment such as a greenhouse.